Advertiser Disclosure: Many of the savings offers appearing on this site are from advertisers from which this website receives compensation for being listed here. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). These offers do not represent all deposit accounts available.

News

If you’re wearily waiting for the rate on your savings account to rise, 2014 probably hasn’t brought you much relief. But that doesn’t mean savers lack options today.

New research by MoneyRates.com indicates that savings account and money market account rates in the U.S. remained near historic lows throughout the second quarter of this year. Overall, the average savings account rate in the survey came in at 0.180 percent. The average money market account rate was even worse at 0.162 percent.

But amid these lackluster figures, there were some banks – and categories of banks – that offered consumers a chance to earn more.

Rise of the Internet bank

The standout category in the survey was online-only banks – institutions that forgo a traditional branch network. While the average savings account rate at online banks – 0.536 percent – may not seem impressive, that figure was more than five times the average at brick-and-mortar banks (0.096 percent).

“Considering the low level of rates generally, the difference between the best banks and the average is surprising,” says Richard Barrington, CFA, senior financial analyst for MoneyRates.com and author of the study. “You can earn five times as much interest by shopping around, so why wouldn’t you?”

If five times the interest isn’t enough to make you switch banks, the top rate surveyed for savings accounts, which came from the Internet-based Synchrony Bank, came in at 0.950 percent – or nearly 10 times the interest offered by the average neighborhood bank branch.

In other words, on a savings account started with $100,000, the average brick-and-mortar bank would pay about $96 in annual interest. At the interest rate posted by Synchrony in the second quarter, that same deposit would yield about $950 annually.

Barrington says that putting dollar figures on the interest offered by the leading banks can help consumers motivate themselves to make a change.

“Maybe interest rates are too abstract for people to really appreciate what the differences mean,” Barrington says. “Convert the extra amount you could earn to dollars when you compare banks, and you’ll probably see that extra is worth having.”

For those not ready to test the waters of online-only banking, the survey also revealed that medium-sized banks – those with between $5 billion and $10 billion in deposits – offered an average savings account rate of 0.277 percent. That was more than 10 basis points higher than their smaller and larger counterparts – albeit roughly half the yield of what the typical online-only account offers.

Desperately seeking safety

Admittedly, no interest rate of less than 1 percent is likely to raise investors’ pulses today, particularly in light of the gains the stock market has posted lately. Yet for some consumers – including many retirees – an FDIC-insured bank account may be the wisest place to store savings they would rather not risk in the stock market.

“Money on deposit should be your safety blanket, the totally secure area of your investments,” Barrington says. “Even so, there is no reason to make sure that money isn’t working as hard for you as it could be.”

The meager savings account interest rates found at most financial institutions may not be enough to convince everyone to stash their money at the bank, but offering a chance to win a cash prize for making a deposit may bring dramatically more savers into the fold.

That's according to recent research by several groups on the subject of prize-linked savings accounts. The chance to win big seems to be a sufficient motivation for many individuals to save in everything from savings bonds to certificates of deposit (CDs).

The link between prizes and savings

Last month, the non-profit Doorways to Dreams Fund issued a report on its Save Your Refund program, which encouraged those receiving a federal tax return to put at least $50 in a qualified savings account. In exchange, they would be entered for a chance to win a $250 weekly prize or a $25,000 grand prize.

Although relatively few individuals took advantage of the program in its first year -- only 772 entries were received -- Doorways to Dreams says it was pleased with the results and that it plans to run the promotion again in 2014. The average participant saved 33 percent of their tax return, and $691,797 was saved in savings bonds, savings accounts, CDs and IRAs, among other qualified options.

The Save Your Refund program comes on the heels of Doorways to Dreams' highly popular Save to Win pilot program in Michigan. That program enters individuals into cash drawings for every $25 they deposit into a savings certificate at participating credit unions.

In 2012, more than 15,000 individuals participated in the Save to Win program at 58 Michigan credit unions. They saved nearly $44 million and had an average year-end balance of more than $2,800. In addition, 82 percent of accounts open in December 2011 rolled over to 2012. What's more, 94 percent of self-reported non-savers rolled over their accounts, which may indicate that a cash prize trumps today's CD yields when it comes to encouraging savings.

The trouble with prize-linked savings

While prize-linked savings accounts appear to be successful at luring non-savers to deposit money, they also aren't legal at most of the country's major institutions. According to policy research group The Heritage Foundation, federal law restricts the use of prize-linked savings promotions at banks.

But while the promotions may be off-limits to banks, credit unions in some states can offer cash prizes as an incentive for saving. In a May 2013 report, The Heritage Foundation notes that 10 states may allow credit unions to offer prize-linked savings.

As concerns grow about the ability of many Americans to retire comfortably, more states could warm to prize-linked savings options. In June 2013, the National Bureau of Economic Research issued a paper indicating that prize-linked savings were particularly appealing to lottery players and those with low bank account balances -- groups that may especially benefit from having more money in the bank.

If these programs do take off, entering the lottery may eventually pay off for plenty of savers -- even if they never claim a jackpot.

How long you live may not only depend on your diet, exercise habits and genetics -- it could also be linked to how early you retire, according to a study released this month by the Tinbergen Institute at the University of Amsterdam.

Researchers from the university analyzed data relating to a 2005 decision to give Dutch civil servants a one-time opportunity to retire at age 55, instead of the usual early retirement ages of 61 or 62 or the full retirement age of 65.

According to the study's findings, men who retired early decreased their chance of dying within the next five years by 42.3 percent, or by 2.5 percentage points. Perhaps even more surprising was the fact that these early retirees had the lowest probability of death during that five-year period, even when compared to younger demographics. Women didn't seem to experience the same benefit, although females tended to have a lower death rate anyway.

The study hypothesized that the lower stress levels the early retirees may have encountered could have contributed to their lower mortality rates. Other studies, such as a 2011 report from Carnegie Mellon University that found that stress may interfere with how the body deals with inflammation, have suggested that stress could be a contributing factor in some illnesses.

Weighing an early retirement

The study was intended to provide guidance on how early retirements may impact public pension funds, but its lessons may be relevant to individual retirement funds as well.

Early retirement combined with long life not only means you have to stretch your retirement money over more years, but that you also have fewer working years in which to sock away money into your 401(k), IRAs and savings accounts.

Given that the savings rates of U.S. workers have been below 5 percent for most of the last decade, it may be impossible for many to afford retirement at age 55. A 2013 study by the Employee Benefits Research Institute found that nearly half of U.S. workers are not at all confident or not too confident in their ability to retire comfortably in the future.

Also, unlike their Dutch counterparts in the study, U.S. workers who retire at age 55 would have to completely self-fund their retirement until age 62, the earliest age at which they can begin receiving Social Security payments.

But the news for late retirees it isn't all bad. According to a French study, working longer may help prevent Alzheimer's disease, indicating that a late retirement may provide some benefits to brain health.

But whether you aim to retire early and live longer, or work later and be mentally sharper, planning carefully for your financial needs in retirement is likely a sensible move.

Don't count on your mortgage servicer to be honest with you about the status of your loan modification application. That's one of the findings from an industry review by the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

The bureau released a report last week that described serious issues with the way mortgage servicers transfer accounts, process payments and work with homeowners. In addition, it discovered that some nonbank mortgage servicers may lack independent auditing or otherwise be out of compliance with federal law.

"Today's report highlights both the mortgage servicing problems throughout the industry and the challenges of making sure that nonbanks are following federal law" said CFPB Director Richard Cordray in a written statement. "Fixing both is a priority for us."

Poor communication, sloppy paperwork among problems

Mortgage servicers are companies that process loan payments on behalf of lenders, and they may handle various other duties related to these loans, including foreclosure proceedings. The CFPB report identified three areas where mortgage servicers may fail to properly protect the consumers they serve.

Account transfers

Payment processing

Loss mitigation

Specifically, the bureau discovered some mortgage servicers fail to properly inform customers when their mortgages are transferred to a new servicer. The CFPB notes that when transfers take place, servicers may have disorganized paperwork and no protocols in place to protect key documents.

Similarly, consumers may not be notified of new payment addresses in a timely manner, resulting in late payments. Some servicers also fail to make property tax payments from escrow accounts as expected or delay cancellation of private mortgage insurance.

Loss mitigation appears to be an area of significant concern, with the CFPB unearthing evidence of poor procedures, lengthy application review times and inconsistent underwriting standards for loan modifications. Even more distressing for consumers may be the deceptive communications reportedly found at some servicers. According to the CFPB, failure to be transparent and clear in communications may have accelerated foreclosures in some cases.

The best and worst mortgage servicers

Customers don't always have a choice on who services their mortgage, but research suggests that there are major differences in how customers perceive various servicers.

A 2013 survey by J.D. Power and Associates found Branch Banking & Trust had the highest customer satisfaction among primary mortgage servicers. It was the fourth straight year the servicer had topped this list. Regions Mortgage placed second for customer satisfaction in the survey, and SunTrust Mortgage placed third.

Meanwhile, Nationstar Mortgage landed in the bottom spot for customer service satisfaction, just ahead of Ocwen Loan Servicing and EverHome Mortgage.

Because of the frequent sales between mortgage servicers, having the best servicer at loan origination is no guarantee that the loan will not be transferred to another servicer in the future. Because the CFPB says companies do not always promptly notify customers of loan transfers, consumers may find it wise to carefully review their loan statements each month.

In addition, to avoid late fees or penalties, customers may want to double-check their statement for changes to their payment mailing address and to confirm with their municipality that their property taxes have been paid on time.

According to the Pew Charitable Trusts, consumers will load an estimated $200 billion on prepaid cards this year. But if you're considering one of these cards, you may want to think twice before you randomly pick one off the rack.

A study released last month by Consumer Reports says there are significant differences in the value provided by the various cards on the market. The report highlighted three cards that it says offer the best deal to consumers.

Seeking the best prepaid cards

Consumer Reports looked at 26 prepaid cards affiliated with a number of banks, businesses and celebrities. Among the cards reviewed were offerings from Chase, Walmart and former basketball star Magic Johnson.

The cards were rated on the basis of their value, fee clarity, convenience and safety. However, value was the factor that showed the most significant variation between the cards. No card received an "excellent" rating for value and only two -- the American Express Bluebird and the H&R Block Emerald Prepaid MasterCard -- received "very good" ratings in that category.

Overall, the report recommended only three prepaid cards.

Bluebird with direct deposit

H&R Block Emerald Prepaid MasterCard

Green Dot Card

While Bluebird card without direct deposit was not recommended, the only difference between this card and the recommended Bluebird card was the convenience factor. The Bluebird card with direct deposit was ranked "very good" for convenience while the version without direct deposit only ranked "good" in this category.

A competitor to checking accounts?

Although prepaid cards aren't likely to replace traditional checking accounts and debit cards anytime soon, they appear to be gaining popularity among those who don't use bank accounts. A 2012 report from the FDIC found 17.8 percent of unbanked individuals -- those without an established checking or savings account -- had used prepaid cards in 2011, compared to just 12.2 percent who had used them in 2009.

Some prepaid cards have also been accused of being checking accounts in disguise. Earlier this year, Bluebird cards were extended FDIC insurance, and most cards now offer direct-deposit options that allow them to function more like checking accounts. If that's not enough, some cards will even issue checks to users.

As for security, Consumer Reports gave high marks to nearly every card surveyed. The only card that didn't receive an "excellent" rating for security was the American Express for Target card, which received a "poor" score for reasons not disclosed in the report.

Despite the new features they offer and their growing popularity, even the best prepaid cards may not be a good fit for everyone. As with most financial products, purchasing a prepaid card without reading the fine print could lead to some unfortunate surprises.

Disclaimer: Because rates and offers from advertisers shown on this
website change frequently, please visit referenced sites for current
information. This website may be compensated by companies mentioned through
advertising, affiliate programs or otherwise.

Advertiser Disclosure: Many of the savings offers appearing on this site are from advertisers from which this website receives compensation for being listed here. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). These offers do not represent all deposit accounts available.